Super Bowl Riddle: What do Avocados, a Cruise Ship and Dinosaurs Have in Common?

Avocados from Mexico, Carnival Cruise Line and the movie Jurassic World are all first time Super Bowl advertisers. That’s a big deal since the cost for a 30-second spot is $4,500,000. Do the math and that is $150,000 per second. Thirty seconds is close to the amount of time that it took you to read this Hot Marketing Tip title and opening paragraph.

Besides the 30-second spot, advertisers also get pre- and post-Super Bowl online replay and positive PR (hopefully positive) about their brand. NBC, who set the $4.5 million price tag, thinks it is actually worth $10 million per spot with all of incremental exposure the brands will receive. But what would you expect them to say when you are trying to make a $4.5 million sale? The Super Bowl will be streamed online this year so there is also a digital advertising component. NBC requires that all digital game time advertisers have a TV component…how convenient!

Automakers Leave a Big Hole

2014 was big year of participation for automotive brands during the Super Bowl, but 2015 won’t be because five automakers are backing out:

General Motors

Acura

Volkswagen

Jaguar

Lincoln

If you are in NBC sales, that’s a $20+ million hole to be made up with new customers.

First Time Super Bowl Advertisers

Here is the rest of the first timers list. Unlike previous years, many of them are not releasing their spot far in advance. Instead, many are keeping it a secret.

Avocados from Mexico – spot theme: No Guac, No Game

Movie release: Jurassic World

WIX – website development

Loctite – glue

mophie – smart phone case maker

Carnival – cruises

Skittles – They do have a pre-campaign spot with Kurt Warner that is a bit of a head scratcher…but at least they are playing Cincinnati-originated cornhole!

Superbowl Takeaways for Business Owners

Sell a package – While the 30-second spot during the game is the premium that everyone wants, there is a complete package of pre- and post-game options as well as digital opportunities.

There are no guarantees – Not all of your major clients will come back next year. Just ask GM, Acura, Volkswagen, Jaguar and Lincoln. Strategies change which drive tactics.

Don’t Give Up on “Slow Cooker” Prospects – WeatherTech was a first-year advertiser in 2014 and is back again this year. They made the decision to participate in Super Bowl advertising in 2000 but did not execute it until 2014. The higher the purchase price often drives a longer sales duration.